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A Management Guideline for Obesity-Hypoventilation Syndromes

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Abstract

A survey of our pulmonary service revealed little consensus as to the definition, work-up, and management of hypoventilation, more often encountered in the presence of obesity. If hypoventilation is defined by an arterial carbon dioxide level above 45mmHg, 22% of artrial blood gas samples over a 5-month period met this criterium, suggesting a high “any-cause” prevalence. This article presents the rationale and explanation for a management protocol for obesity-hypoventilation that is currently being assessed in the VA Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University training program in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University and the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio

    Shyam Subramanian M.D.

  2. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106

    Shyam Subramanian M.D. & Kingman P. Strohl M.D.

Authors
  1. Shyam Subramanian M.D.
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  2. Kingman P. Strohl M.D.
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Correspondence to Shyam Subramanian M.D..

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Subramanian, S., Strohl, K.P. A Management Guideline for Obesity-Hypoventilation Syndromes. Sleep Breath 3, 131–138 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-999-0131-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-999-0131-3

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